storage News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 23, 2026June 23, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

TerraMaster F4-425 Pro 4+3 Hybrid NAS gets Intel Core 3 N350 or Core i3-N305 octa-core CPU

TerraMaster F4-425 Pro Intel Core i3-N305 Core 3 N350

TerraMaster F4-425 Pro 4+3 Hybrid NAS is an update of the F4-425 Plus Intel N150 NAS with a more powerful Intel Core 3 N350 “Twin Lake” octa-core processor or Core i3-N305 octa-core “Alder Lake-N” processor. Apart from the new processors, the new Pro model basically offers the same features with four SATA bays and three M.2 NVMe SSD sockets for storage (hence the 4+3 hybrid moniker), and dual 5GbE networking. It’s equipped with 8GB or 16GB DDR5 memory, and also adds four USB 3.2 ports for peripheral expansion, and an HDMI port for terminal access. TerraMaster F4-425 Pro specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32U Intel HD graphics @ 1,250 MHz; TDP: 15W Intel Core 3 N350 octa-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.9 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32U Intel HD graphics […]

June 22, 2026June 21, 2026 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

UTFS is a lightweight, zero-allocation file system for embedded devices

μTFS lightweight, zero allocation file system

CLI Systems has introduced UTFS (μTFS), a simple, lightweight embedded storage system designed for small MCUs. Unlike traditional file systems like FAT32 or EXT4, or even lighter options like LittleFS and SPIFFS used on boards like the ESP32, UTFS is much simpler. It does not use dynamic memory and avoids complex features like wear leveling, making it easier to use on low-resource devices. Designed for flat, byte-addressable memory like raw EEPROM, CPU flash pages, or external SPI/I²C flash, UTFS allows bare-metal firmware to store named data blobs (“files”) back-to-back. Each file is appended with a fixed 24-byte header containing metadata like identifiers, sizes, and application-defined signatures. UTFS specifications and features Footprint – Fixed 24-byte header per file; zero heap usage (no malloc) Format – TAR-inspired sequential layout; forward-compatible so files can be added later without breaking existing memory layouts Storage Agnostic – Requires porting only two functions to interface with […]

June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

OneThingCloud decentralized bandwidth sharing/distributed CDN solution pays you for your “spare” bandwidth

While writing about the recent Linux 7.1 release, I came across the “OneThing Edge Cube” (OEC) based on the Rockchip RK3566 SoC. I assume it may have been some type of NAS, but instead it’s a box for the OpenThingCloud decentralized bandwidth sharing solution. People purchase the OEC or OEC-Turbo device and install it at home to be part of a distributed P2P CDN (Content Delivery Network), caching data for other nodes operating nearby. As I understand it, there’s no user-facing functionality, and people install this type of hardware at home to get passive income. OneThing Edge Cube (OEC) / Cube Pro (OEC-Pro) specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3566 System Memory – 2GB (OEC) or 4GB (OEC-turbo) LPDDR4X Storage 8GB eMMC flash SATA 3.0 connector Networking Gigabit Ethernet port 100+ Mbps upload bandwidth recommended USB – USB 3.0 port, USB 2.0 Type-C 2.0 port Power Supply – 12V DC Power supply […]

May 11, 2026May 12, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Up to 256 MB FERRIT modular F-RAM storage device preserves critical data for up to 200 years

Machdyne’s FERRIT is a modular USB F-RAM storage device with a capacity of up to 256 MB and capable of storing data for up to 200 years with a virtually unlimited number of writes and high-radiation resistance. It builds upon the earlier Blaustahl F-RAM storage device that only offers 8KB capacity. The FERRIT device supports 8 MB to 256 MB by combining up to 256 individual 1 MB F-RAM ICs. The prototype below is housed in a metal frame and looks like a typical cluster solution. FERRIT specifications and key features: FERRIT-CY controller based on Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU with USB-FS Type-C port FERRIT-M8 removable ferroelectric memory cards with up to 16MB capacity using 16x 1MB F-RAM ICs (double-sided: 2x 8 chips) FERRIT-16 backplane with slots for FERRIT-CY and 16x FERRIT-M8 connected over SPI/QSPI bus Max capacity – 256 MB+ through up to 256x memory devices (16 memory cards with 16 chips) […]

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

TerraMaster F2-425 Plus NAS review – Part 2: Configuration, benchmarks, and AI-enhanced media storage

I received the TerraMaster F2-425 Plus 3+2 Hybrid NAS for review last month, and after checking out the hardware in the first part of the review, I’ve finally had time to test the Intel N150 NAS. After installing two 4TB SATA drives and an M.2 NVMe SSD, I’ll report my experience setting up the system with the TNAS Android app, before running some benchmarks, and testing features like photo backup with AI search capabilities. Hard drive installation I already had an old, but little-used, 4TB HGST SATA drive, and I bought a “new” 4TB SATA drive online for a pretty good deal (2979 THB or a little over $90 US). It turns out the HPE MB4000GVY2K drive I got was refurbished, having been manufactured in 2017. However, it’s an enterprise-grade drive, and the TNAS app reports it has been used “only” for 2,517 hours, so I don’t feel too bad […]

February 24, 2026February 27, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Kioxia samples UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory with up to 1TB capacity, 10.8 GB/s data rate

Kioxia has announced that it has begun shipping evaluation samples of UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory available in capacities of 512 GB and 1 TB. UFS 5.0 is a new standard for embedded flash storage currently being developed by JEDEC for next-generation mobile devices. The new standard utilizes MIPI M-PHY version 6.0 for the physical layer and UniPro version 3.0 for the protocol. The new High-Speed Gear 6 (HS-GEAR6) mode available in M-PHY version 6.0 can handle up to 46.6 Gbps per lane, meaning that with 2 lanes, it can achieve around 10.8 GB/s read/write performance, outperforming most NVMe SSDs, except for PCIe Gen5 SSDs. As a reminder, the previous UFS 4.0 standard promised up to 4,200 MB/s, so the upcoming UFS 5.0 standard more than doubles the theoretical speed. [Update: note quite “upcoming”, since the UFS 5.0 standard was also published on February 26, 2026] Besides the higher throughput, […]

February 19, 2026March 28, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

TerraMaster F2-425 Plus 3+2-bay hybrid NAS review – Part 1: unboxing, teardown, drives installation, and first boot

TerrasMaster F2-425 Plus Review TOS initialization

TerraMaster has sent us a sample of the F2-425 Plus 3+2-bay NAS for review. It’s powered by an Intel Processor N150 CPU paired with 8GB of RAM, with two 3.5-inch SATA bays and three M.2 NVMe sockets for storage, as well as two 5GbE RJ45 jacks, and a few USB ports. Since we’ve already written the specifications in the previous article, we’ll focus the first part of the review on an unboxing and a teardown to check out the hardware design, before showing how to install the drives, and giving it a quick first try. TerraMaster F2-425 Plus NAS unboxing We received the F2-425 Plus “All new 2-Bay Hybrid NAS” in its retail package. UPS took nearly two months to deliver it from Hong Kong to Thailand, mostly due to customs issues, but I digress. The package includes an accessories box with a Quick Installation Guide, a Limited Warranty brochure, […]

February 17, 2026February 17, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

60W Pocket Cloud is a microSD card reader with USB PD passthrough for your smartphone (Crowdfunding)

60W Pocket Cloud is a microSD card reader with 60W USB PD passthrough for your smartphone that works with Android (USB-C) and iOS (USB-C or Lightning) mobile devices, as well as other hosts with a spare USB port. Once upon a time, smartphone manufacturers would include a microSD card socket in their devices, but those have now become harder to find. If your device’s spare storage is getting dangerously low, you’d need to either purchase cloud storage or connect a microSD card reader to the USB-C port of your phone. The latter works, except you can’t charge your phone when it’s connected. Conner’s 60W Pocket Cloud brings back microSD card storage support to mobile devices, while still allowing USD PD charging during use. 60W Pocket Cloud specifications: Chipset – Vinpower iVP309 flash controller chip with 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), SD 3.0 UHS-I, SDCX SD card interface, USB […]